recommend a trip where few toursits go?

My brother and his wife went to Isaan in Northeastern Thailand. They ran across almost no tourists. They loved it. Of course, with few tourists, the tourist infrastucure will be skimpy, but it's a trade off.

Ghana...Fabulous.Have been twice. I hope you wrote a trip report on Rwanda. I'm thinking of going there. Happy Travels!

Iran; Northeast Thailand; Central Highlands of Vietnam (not Dalat but places like Pleiku ); Yemen; Karakorum Highway area in Pakistan; Mustang

Sumba island in Indonesia
www.nihiwatu.com

Papua New Guinea. Trobriand Islands.
Amazing.

South Sulawesi
Burma
Ethiopia
many places in central asia

We've visited Mali and Iran which both had amazing historical sites and a great deal of cultural interest but not many tourists. I would love to visit Ethiopia, Yemen and Northern Pakistan.

In April we're heading to Turkmenistan and and Uzbekistan which are increasingly popular!

Agree that Mali is a fascinating destination.

Sagada in the Northern Philippines. If you are into Caving or trekking. The hanging tombs is interesting as well.

Is it safe to travel to YEMEN right now? Has anyone been recently?

safe? It's all a matter of perspective. There have been a number of kidnappings and even deaths of tourists there.

You might want to consider Sir Lanka. Few travelers are going there now even though it's a fabulous destination. Take a look at my trip report from November 2007.

Re: Yemen. I have a friend who went there last year and said it was the best trip of her life. Personally, I probably would not go but plenty do.

I think all of the above reccos are fine in their own way, IMO you don’t really have to go to a country where few tourists go, you can just choose to go to the right places within popular countries where few tourists go, and voila! instant charm and a good tourist infrastructure to boot (and no shots needed and if you are lucky, a non-stop flight.) For example for Switzerland, avoid that overdone Lucerne and the Jungfrau and go to the stunning and untouristed eastern end of the country where there are Romansch-speaking cantons out east of the Engadine (which in itself is pretty much untouristed by Americans, so if you want to meet a handsome Italian, go there in August or the winter….) Great food, nice hotels, incredible scenery, churches that actually have art inside (the Reformation missed these areas they are so remote) and an easy train ride from the air hub of Zurich on the very efficient Swiss Rail system. Or just go to Austria and avoid Vienna and Salzburg and really IMO you are going to find few tourists. In Italy, head all the way down to the toe of the boot and you will have places virtually to yourself, they make Sicily seem crowded (which really isn’t). The “white villages” on the hillsides of Spain are great for touring and walking and while there are tourists, these are not numerious; Portugal has similar ones that I believe would be even less touristed.

Since you have posted this on the Asian board, consider Hong Kong, but by all means avoid Kowloon and go hiking and walking through the lovely little farming and fishing villages in the hills and valleys of the New Territories (there are even some hidden right on Hong Kong Island if you know where to go…) You could stay in a little hotel on Lamma Island (not promising much in the way of luxury but some interesting and fun bits in the town) and hike there too, or take little wooden kaido ferries to outlying islands. You can kayak through some lovely areas of Sai Kung or parasail off of the Dragon’s Back. All while the tourists are shopping for copy watches along the concrete jungle of Nathan Road….plus you can pop back at night for a massage and a good meal. In Singapore, stay in one of the ethnic neighborhoods at a smaller neighborhood hotel, and take cooking lessons, learn about Chinese Opera or take a Mandarin lesson, take walks and hikes in the northern part of the island or bike or sail in East Coast Park. It’s all of matter IMO of seeking out the less touristed paths, not really the less touristed places.

Myanmar (Burma) was a treat. Visit Bagan and see the many temples. Also in the same area is Mt. Popa, a temple on top of a gigantic rock of solidified magma. http://www.ancientbagan.com/mt-popa.htm

I don't think you will find any place worth seeing without a few tourists around, tourist money helps support the upkeep of these attractions.

Way back when I was a kid in the navy we had a port call at Colombo, Sri Lanka. I thought the place was neat, in particular I remember the Siguriya Rock Fortress. http://www.ecotourism-culturaltourism.com/sigiriya.htm

This same area has one of the oldest samples of erotic art found in a cave.

Have fun.

Cicerone is so right that you can get off the beaten track in even the most popular destinations. I use Bangkok as my gateway to other parts of Asia, so am there almost every year. Even in Bangkok it's easy to spend a whole day without seeing another westerner.

The Isaan Region in NE Thailand, where there are Khmer temples (built during the Angkor Wat period) that are in the middle of fields & atop mountains, where you can see temples w/ NO tourists. If you snorkel the Meiruguay (sp?) Archipelago north of the Surin Islands in Burma, you can enter from Thailand north of Khao Lak... There's also great snorkeling & wild life in coastal Mozambique (check out Conde Nast Traveler).

We've been to the remote Tuamotus (the older island group north of Tahiti's Society Islands) & if you want to see the real Polynesia, that is where you will find it. The atoll of Fakarava has excellent diving & the Puamotu live like they did on Bora Bora 50 years ago. Havaiki Pearl Guest House has a website & is a neat place to stay... we loved it. May is a good month. Owner Joachim can take you out deep sea fishing or to remote nearby, unhabited atoll of Toau. Contact the Tahiti Tourism Board & ask them to send you the brochure, there are a few other atolls in the Tuamotus who have lovely little pensions on them, where you can pretend you're Robinson Carusoe.

Go to Pulau wei off the coast of Banda Ache, Indonesia - be prepared for very basic conditions, but great beauty. A year ago, Burma might have been iffy to most people, but i just cannot even imagine going there now after recent events. i personally like Lombok a lot, altho it may becoming too popular. I also love Yunnan and the Lijiang environs, but it also may becoming too well known.

Ghanna, Benin, and Togo are beautiful and highly recommended. Though, my personal favorite is Malawi. It definitely lives up to its nickname as the 'Warm Heart of Africa!' There were five of us who traveled together and outside of the major cities and one other destination we didn't run into any other travelers. It was amazing. In fact here's a link to my trip that you may find helpful. Enjoy!

http://www.sosauce.com/travel2/trip.do?tripId=285

Hi When I went to Nepal, people kept telling me Bhutan was better because it was less touristic.

Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo is the old name) in Myanmar (Burma is the old name).

This is where the English went to escape the heat of Mandalay and is off the beaten track and totally different from the rest of Myanmar.

On my first two visits there I went up the mountain through the "jungle / forest", and there were actually tigers running around. Now, the military government cut down most of the trees along the way (sold the lumber for hard currency), and the tigers, etc. are unfortunately gone.

However, Pyin Oo Lwin is still worth a visit for itself. Old English style homes, ponds, lakes, English gardens, golf course, and it is all in the middle of Myanmar in a temperate climate.

Isn't there a famous old hotel in Maymyo, that begins with the letter "C?"

West Africa gets my vote!

Maymo-- one of the problems with it is that the big old hotel is owned by the government so a big no no. There is a huge army station there. I would say it is worth a day trip from Mandalay but I wouldn't stay over.

Now Moguk in Burma is truly non touristy and was fascinating but last I heard it was once again closed to tourists.

Candacraig! Sorry to hear it is govt owned.

Burma is not the 'old name', it is the name of the country. It is the country's evil military dictatorship & general dictator who chose to change the name... many western nations do not recognize "Myanmar"... this the regime who has slaughtered monks, dissidents, forces child & slave labor (to build roads, hotels, etc)., that smuggles sapphires & rubies into Thailand under bogus carnets so they can make billions in profits & use the profits to further oppress the people of Burma, chop down more rainforests, kill more endangered species & build more palaces for themselves... while huge segments of the population live in poverty & malnutrition.

The imprisoned leader of the democracy movement has asked western tourists NOT to visit Burma, because nearly all of the money you spend (including the airport tax, nearly all the hotels, stores, restaurants) will go to the cronies of the military dictatorship.

Pretending your tourist money doesn't serve to enslave the Burmese people doesn't make it not so.

We had a guide in the Golden Triangle that told me that the name Myanmar and Burma both have a long history and are essentially the same. Askoksansa's post reminded me of this discussion we had, and I looked for some further information. This wiki explains what my guide told me, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Burma

and a more simplified account
http://www.mewashingtondc.com/Myanmar_Burma.htm

There is also an increasing trend toward independent tourism to the country, as many years of boycott has accomplished little or nothing in terms of changing the regime. Many now say to visit, stay in privately owned guesthouses, eat local, shop local, talk local...and the more people that visit, the better, because awareness increases on both sides with more visitors.

Here, here, Kim.

Boy, Oksana certainly knows a lot about a lot of things.

I'm considering asking her for tax advice this year.

Can we please not drag up the old 'to go or not to go to Burma' thing again? There are so many other posts dedicated to that...and I suggest airing your grievances there. Please don't hijack poor Mandy's thread.

A little belated, but I wanted to thank Cicerone for such a thoughtful post.

I also have to mention Mali. We were recently there and found Timbucktu and the Dogon escarpment fascinating. We saw very few tourists.

Some years ago on coming home from years in Africa I wanted to visit a remote area with decent infrastructure and food.
I considered Madeira, but was told it was too commercial and the Azores were recommended.
The 7 main islands can be visited by local air or boat and offer a rare richness and variety, and the freshest fish and meat dishes possible.
There are tourists, mainly German and English but most visit on a regular basis - Go in spring when the flowers are magnificent.
DO NOT try to go in winter.

May one ask how you got to Rwanda?

Visit the final frontier - go to into space!

I would suggest the Nicoyan Peninsula in Costa Rica. We have stayed in Tambor three times and rented a house on the ocean inside the Tango Mar Resort. There are two hotels I would suggest. The first is Tambor Tropical http://www.tambortropical.com/
which couldn't be more private (if you don't mind having no air-they will provide a fan). As information, this is a collection of 5 cabanas surrounding a pool which was featured on TV series "Temptation Island." The second is Tango Mar Resort http://www.tangomar.com/ which sits on the beautiful Pacific Ocean and is very private as well. From either of these two you can go zip-lining at Montezuma; horseback riding on the beach; take a boat from Tambor Marina to Tortuga Island for snorkling; visit Montezuma a quaint little hippie town that has some great dirt floor restuarants; go deep sea fishing; visit nature preserves; hike; just swim in your pool or the ocean; or just lay in a hammock! If this interests you, I'd be happy to give you more details. If you go to TripAdvisor and search for Tambor Tropical I have posted pictures.

Do one of the Assam Bengal Navigation's trips and cruise along the Brahmaputra in Assam, India.

My wife and I did an ABN cruise last year and apart from 10 other passengers on the vessel, we never saw another tourist.

Beforehand, we stayed at the ABN's jungle lodge near the border of Assam and Bhutan. It's basic accommodation, but worthwile for 3-4 nights.

ANB have also just opened a lodge at Kaziringa National Park on the banks of the Brahmaputra, and that's also meant to be very pleasant. You'll see wild elephants, one horned rhinos, maybe a tiger or three plus some leopards, and oodles of exotic birdlife, monkeys, deer, buffalo, and river dolphins.

We also stayed at Mancotta Chang Bungalows at Dibrugarh and that was outstanding.

Assam is a forgotten part of India. You won't see another tourist apart from those you might travel with.

The website is http://assambengalnavigation.com/

Yunnan province, China. Went for three days without seeing a westerner-yet accomadations are comfortable. Very little pollution in this part of the country. The souther part of Yunnan borders Burma, Laos, Vietnam-the norhern part Sichuan prvince and Tibet. Georgeous mountain gorges(the upper reaches of the Yangze and Mekong, as well as other rivers.) Minority peoples.

Great thread. Great thoughts.

I agree with Cicerone though. There are many places that are off the beaten tourist track if you are willing to just think creatively and not automaticaly just assume that it must be a country no one else visits. Our examples.

The Maramures area of Romania--a glimpse of what Europe must have been like pre WWII.

The Yucatan peninsula avoiding all the places that tourists typically visit.

Lithuania--no Americans and not a lot of tourists period outside of Vilnius.

We did a fabulous biking trip in NW Germany around Muenster. Never ran into another native English speaker.

The far reaches of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The rural areas around Hanoi. The remote mountain villages of Vietnam near the Chinese border.

I have found if I read guidebooks thoroughly and look for things/places that appeal to us, not necessarily the typical highlights of a country, there are tons of places that are not overrun by tourists.